Last updated: 2015-11-09

[Undercurrents]: ShadowPlay

Inside ShadowPlay, the hip new bridge between Beijing's electronic music underground and contemporary art sets...

Undercurrents is an ongoing column on SmartBeijing in which we profile Beijing promoters and music makers putting on music events in this city, specifically within the context of the larger cultural, economic, and arts landscape in the city. These are the manufacturers of cultural capital. This is the business of art and music.
*** Despite the fact that they've been operating for less than six months, ShadowPlay is one of the most buzzed names among Beijing's self-anointed underground electronic music party aesthetes. Right out the gate, the lean crew of DJ-artist-curators has made a mark by throwing parties in unconventional spots (cafes, lounges, youth hostel bars, off-798 warehouses) and blending dance party vibes with live electronic music performances, contemporary art installations, and Modern dance maneuvers. Their last one was on the 26th floor of a Dongzhimen high-rise and featured floating video screens, dancers under blankets, crazy lighting, and a lot of rapid movements behind the DJ decks. For their next event, ShadowPlay is teaming up with BJ electronic music kingpin Dead J, fresh off a sabbatical in Berlin. He'll play live on Saturday at The Post Mountain, followed by DJ sets and a performance art piece by the ShadowPlay crew. I swapped some confusingly routed emails/Wechats with Alexandre Serres, Zhi Qi, and Meng Meng, three of the four brains behind the ShadowPlay enterprise. Here's what they had to say about their motivations and next moves: ***
SmartBeijing: When did ShadowPlay start? Who all is involved?
Alexandre Serres
: It started in September 2013. Summer of 2013 ZhiQi was in Paris at the same time as me, so we went out a couple of times together to bars/clubs. When I came back to Beijing, ZhiQi had just started ShadowPlay with MengMeng and Laoyu and he invited me to join the team.
SmBj: What does the name mean?
MengMeng + ZhiQi
: ShadowPlay is just the coincidental translation of the Chinese word 皮影戏, but the party’s meaning is pointing in another direction. We share tastes and interests, as far as music goes: invisible and non-objective. It’s like a game of shadows. You cannot actually see it, only sense it.
SmBj: Where does ShadowPlay exist within Beijing's electronic music scene? What style or genres do you play?
AS
: Our principal difference within the electronic music scene is, we got kind of bored of "classic nightclubbing" in Beijing. We always change the venue, and the venues [we choose] certainly have a connection with art. Our style includes many styles of electronic music: techno, minimal, house, deep... depends on the season also. Summer maybe more house, winter more techno/minimal...
SmBj: You usually mix DJ sets with live electronic music. Why? Who are your favorite producers/live performers in Beijing?
MM+ZQ
: Our goal is to build a platform introducing multiple new artworks and promoting various electronic artists/DJs in town, and display an interesting atmosphere for people to be involved. AS: Our events are now well structured: artists + live set + DJs. It's always interesting to have a live show around midnight, it's exciting. Then it's just a party... I have a soft spot for iimmune. And Nara also. Thanks 豆瓣 then to have their music online. Nara at Balance Art SU at Balance Art
SmBj: ShadowPlay also mixes in visual art elements — photography, painting, design, installation, video, performance art. What is your art background? How are you trying to bridge electronic music with art world culture?
AS
: We are all definitely into the Beijing art sphere, so we decided to do a crossover between two things we liked. MengMeng is in a doctoral program at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and ZhiQi just moved to Heiqiao to establish his own studio. "Helicopter" is a new project by them two. They're going to set up a performance for [Saturday's] event at The Post Mountain. People coming to our events are mostly involved in art/design/music/fashion. They all have been into the Beijing electronic scene before, but an important part of them are tired of going to the well-known clubs in town every weekend. If we do interesting venues every time, the bridge is easier to build.
SmBj: Your next event is a collaboration with Waveform, Dead J's label. How did you get the idea for this collaboration?
AS
: Dead J is a good friend of ours. He's the musical director of the Tree Music label [and their venue, The Post Mountain]. He also thinks that ShadowPlay can bring interesting people. When we thought about doing an event at The Post Mountain, Dead J immediately occurred to us. And Dead J has spent much time in Berlin recently, maybe he will come back with some news works, who knows...
SmBj: You've booked shows in some interesting venues... a warehouse outside of 798 and the Balance Art space on the top of a Dongzhimen high rise. How do you choose your venues? What is your goal in seeking non-traditional spaces for your events?
AS
: Balance Art was LaoYu's idea. He knows the owner. MM+ZQ: They have a workshop for experimental modern dance, and extraordinary dancers. We thought that maybe it would bring something interesting to mix dance, video, installation, and party music together. In the end, it really worked. AS: That was interesting. The warehouse outside 798 was Star Gallery (星空间) in QiKeShu. I really like this place, it's big man! They host maybe the best young artists in town. TianZhuo, a friend of ours, had a solo exhibition there and he asked us to collaborate with him for the opening party. It was definitely one of the most interesting parties in 2013... ShaowPlay at Tianzhuo's Acid Club opening Seeking non-traditional spaces reminds me of a "DIY rave party." It's also a way to do something new, modern. Beijing is fuckin' big, there are more interesting venues than you know man!
SmBj: Indeed. So what do you have planned for the rest of 2014?
AS
: First Post Mountain, then... Voiski is coming [to China] for shows in Taiwan and Shanghai. We may have a tip to invite him for an event in Beijing in May, we'll see! *** Catch ShadowPlay x Waveform (Dead J's label) on Saturday, March 8 at The Post Mountain. And follow ShadowPlay on Facebook or weibo for future updates.